Itachi's Sinking Feeling
by animequicksandlover
Summary: Ninjas are trained for almost everything, right? What happens when one of the best finds himself in a situation he's not trained for? No flames please.


_I wanted to do a random Itachi quicksand story for some time, so I did, and here it is. Please review. The people who reviewed my first fic were polite and gave good advice, and I want to thank them. I hope this one gets equally good reviews. Hope you like. _

Itachi wandered through the woods. He felt like walking, just to think. He had left his Akatsuki cloak at the cave the organization used as a base and told Kisame and the others to leave him alone for a couple hours, which he was sure they would. The only weapons he took was one kunai, not that he needed weapons anyhow. Wearing his black shirt with fishnet undershirt, black hakama and black sandals, he felt freer and more relaxed than in his Akatsuki cloak with all the weapons he usually carried.

He walked among the trees, inhaling the air of the lowlands he walked through. He thought about Konaha, about his old home. He could never call it home again. He thought about his clan, and his brother Sasuke. He picked up his pace, jogging through the wilderness, exercising his thoughts away. He ran into an unfamiliar part of the woods, and kept going, tears in his dark brown eyes. Itachi ran until he was out of breath and his side hurt like a dagger under his ribs. He stopped and panted. Looking around, he realized he must have gone miles in his wanderings, and didn't really know where he was. The trees here were gnarled and twisted, and the ground was darker and mustier. He shrugged his shoulders and walked on.

Soon, the trees grew further apart, and the smell of decay became stronger. Itachi was curious, and kept going. Soon the trees were gone, and Itachi stood at the edge of what looked like a meadow. It was lower ground than Itachi stood on now, and could see across to where the trees began again. Rushes and cattails grew head high in the large field, and a small stream ran from somewhere amongst the plants, dissapearing in a deepening gully in the woods. The place looked calm, but the smell of rotting plant matter wafted in the air.

"Strange place..." Itachi muttered to himself, taking it in. He stepped forward, into the tall water plants. He pushed them aside as he walked deeper into the field. Stepping forward, his right foot hit water, and he pulled back a moment. He stepped forward again, and tried to find drier land as he went. The ground was getting wetter, and there were pools of water everywhere, often hidden among the dense growth of plants. Once, the sole of his sandal sank into black slimy mud. Itachi scoffed, and tugged it out, but he kept going, determined to get to the other side of the glade.

Itachi leapt onto a hill of grass and looked around. Now, dry land was impossible to see. There was only water, about an inch deep with a reddish-brown dirt underneath. Small patches of grass and cattails stuck up like small islands. Itachi stepped forward carefully, trying the water. underneath, the earth was nothing but mud, and his foot began to sink. He pulled it back.

"I'm getting across this..." He muttered. He knelt down and tightened the ankle straps of his sandals, then jumped, landing on the next small island. He leapt again to the next one. He was starting to enjoy the game a little. He jumped again to a rather small island. There was a bubbling from the water, and the small mass shifted. Caught off guard, Itachi jumped forward, and landed on his feet in the water. he felt the cool mud engulf his feet. He spied the next bit of grass, and tried to walk to it, but when he attempted to lift his right foot, his left sank even deeper, his leg sliding into the mud halfway up the ninja's leg.

"Ugh..." He groaned. He lifted the legs of his hakama past his knees, not wanting to get them filthy. He tried to pull his left leg up enough to get it free, but his right sank too. He struggled a bit, feeling the suction of the wet muck on his sandals, and wishing he hadn't tightened them so much. If only he could break them...

Itachi groaned with effort as the tried to pull hard enough to break the sandals, working his feet up and down. He churned the mud, sinking deeper...deeper, his kneecaps dissapearing into the muck. He let go of his pant legs, and clenched his fists as he pumped his legs harder.

"Ugh! Come on, damnit...let GO!" He growled as he thrashed in the quicksand that was pulling him down more and more. The slimy brown ooze slid up his thighs, and claimed his pant legs, working higher and higher, until Itachi realized that he could no longer move his legs more than a little at a time. "What...what the hell...is this QUICKSAND?!" Itachi panted. He looked around, trying to analyze the situation, looking for something to help him get out of this trap. There was nothing within arm's reach but more water, and more mud. He felt a cool, wet, yet sensual feeling and looked down as the mud reached the tops of his thighs, and engulfed him up to the hips. "Oh damn...damn it...I gotta get out of this..." He said, his voice starting to show a little fear. He struggled, trying to loosen the mud around him, but it still held him tightly. He sank to his stomach, and for a moment, held his arms out and let out a small whimper. Itachi wasn't prone to fear or panic at all, but he was beginning to feel a little of both. He had never been in a situation that he couldn't think of a way out of, and he didn't like it.

"I can't die like this..." Itachi gasped. His slim body slowly sank deeper, up his stomach to his chest. "No..." Itachi said, stretching his arms forward and digging his fingers into the mud in front of him, pulling, trying to drag himself out. "Help!" He shouted. "Help me!" He strained, pulling at the muck, his bare arms sliding into the quicksand as he fought for his life. "Please, help me!" He knew screaming was useless, but maybe someone would hear him...maybe someone was close by. Itachi was up to his shoulders, his arms trapped, the mud pressing in around him. He felt the deadly substance rise over his shoulders, and the wetness at the base of his neck.

"Not like this..." He panted. "Please...somebody...no..." He took a deep breath. If the quicksand was going to claim him, he wouldn't go without a fight. He strained against the grip of the bog, desperately fighting against the doom that was creeping closer with each second. As the quicksand reached his chin, he felt his right foot break free of the sandal the mud gripped relentlessly. He found he was now able to raise his right leg. Itachi tilted his head back as the quicksand reached his cheeks. His ponytail floated on the shallow water behind him. He tugged with all his might, and his left foot finally broke free of the sandal that held it. His head was still slowly sinking into the mire, the quicksand at the edge of his bottom lip. He twisted and kicked, trying to push himself up.

"HEEELLLLLP!" He screamed, just before the silty substance began to enter his mouth. He spat it out and coughed. He moved his legs up and down in the quicksand, and pushed his arms deeper, managing to push his body up a little. It only lasted a moment, before he sank even deeper, his mouth sliding under the surface. He panted desperately through his nose, and forced his right hand out of the mud, clawing at the surface, frantically searching for something solid to grab onto. He felt the silt reach his nose, and inhaled deeply before it claimed him to the eyes that now darted wildly around as his only free hand sought a way out before the end. He whimpered again under the mud, and it came out as a muffled cry. His hand finally found something, a branch or root just under the surface, at the end of his reach. He closed his eyes as they sank into the quicksand, tears finally forming. He had to reach....

With one last burst of energy, Itachi grabbed hold of the root and pulled. His lungs hurt and he needed air badly. He pulled with all his might, feeling the mud loose its grip. His head broke the surface, and he gasped a deep breath of air. He pulled his other arm free, and grabbed the root. Now, he was able to pull more of his body out. he kicked his legs as the extracated himself from the mire, and was finally able to get free. He crawled across the surface until he reached another small island. He shakily stood and looked back at the spot where he had almost died moments before. The quicksand had settled back, and looked as harmeless as before.

"Damn it..." Itachi said angrily. He slowly and carefully made his way back across the swamp, and back to the Akatsuki hideout. He arrived barefoot, covered in mud, and soaking wet. The other members stopped what they had been doing, and stared at him as he entered. He walked into the main room, stopped and looked around at them.

"Shut up." He muttered, and went into his room to change.


End file.
